Education in Pereira, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 71,771 children aged 5 to 16 in Pereira in 2024, of whom 102.5% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 12th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 108.5% in 2019.
How many teenagers in Pereira are in school?
Net enrolment in Pereira in 2024 was 72.1% at pre-school transition level, 97.6% in primary, 90.9% in lower secondary and 62.0% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Pereira?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Pereira was 114.8% in 2024, 113.2% in primary and 111.4% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Pereira?
5.49% of students enrolled in Pereira left school during 2024 (dropout rate), joint 9th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 5.57% in 2019.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Pereira?
In 2024 87.1% of students in Pereira passed their school year, 7.5% failed and 8.4% were repeating a grade, joint 33rd lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site on repetition.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the average Saber 11 score in Pereira?
Students at schools in Pereira averaged 260 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (10,370 test takers), 37th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; in 2019 the average was 254.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow do students in Pereira do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Pereira averaged 52 in mathematics, 55 in critical reading and 54 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 24th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Pereira score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Pereira averaged 254 on the Saber 11 exam (8,644 test takers) and students at private schools 292 (1,726), a gap of 38 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Pereira improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Pereira changed by +6 points between 2019 and 2022, 34th largest rise of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Pereira cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 41.5% of households in Pereira were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), 31st highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 6.6% had a member who could not read or write and 10.7% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Pereira compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Pereira ranks 12 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Rionegro | 106.4% |
| 10 | Yumbo | 103.2% |
| 11 | Santa Marta | 102.7% |
| 12 | Pereira | 102.5% |
| 13 | Maicao | 101.9% |
| 14 | Ipiales | 99.8% |
| 15 | Madrid | 99.7% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Pereira ranks 9 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Neiva | 5.75% |
| 7 | Tuluá | 5.68% |
| 8 | Villa del Rosario | 5.68% |
| 9 | Pereira | 5.49% |
| 10 | Yumbo | 5.49% |
| 11 | Madrid | 5.40% |
| 12 | Ciénaga | 5.29% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Pereira ranks 40 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | Valledupar | 8.6% |
| 38 | Apartadó | 8.5% |
| 39 | Villavicencio | 8.4% |
| 40 | Pereira | 8.4% |
| 41 | Dosquebradas | 8.4% |
| 42 | Turbaco | 8.4% |
| 43 | Turbo | 8.4% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Pereira ranks 37 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | Popayán | 260 |
| 35 | Villavicencio | 260 |
| 36 | Tuluá | 260 |
| 37 | Pereira | 260 |
| 38 | Soacha | 259 |
| 39 | Villa del Rosario | 259 |
| 40 | Yopal | 259 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Pereira ranks 34 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Cereté | +7 |
| 32 | Neiva | +7 |
| 33 | Turbaco | +6 |
| 34 | Pereira | +6 |
| 35 | Pasto | +6 |
| 36 | Villa del Rosario | +6 |
| 37 | Barrancabermeja | +6 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Pereira ranks 31 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Girón | 41.9% |
| 29 | Barrancabermeja | 41.7% |
| 30 | Sincelejo | 41.6% |
| 31 | Pereira | 41.5% |
| 32 | Dosquebradas | 41.4% |
| 33 | Montería | 41.2% |
| 34 | Pasto | 41.0% |
More on Pereira: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · all cities in Colombia
Sources
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE): Medida de pobreza multidimensional municipal de fuente censal 2018: municipal incidence (urban and rural) and household deprivations by indicator, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a3ac3a60498a…)
- Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación): MEN estadísticas en educación en preescolar, básica y media por municipio, 2011-2024: net and gross coverage, dropout, approval, failure and repetition rates (datos.gov.co API response for the 74 municipalities; query saved as men-municipal-2011-2024.request.txt), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8de3c5ca5744…)
- Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES): Resultados únicos Saber 11: average scores by municipality of the school and school type, 2019-4 and 2022-4 sittings (datos.gov.co aggregate query; saved as saber11.request.txt), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6b32c41e9323…)
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